Boxed-In
Austin, Texas | Film Short
Comedy, Crime
A UT Undergraduate Thesis written and directed by Eliza Sommers and produced by Kate Hernandez. A wild and heartfelt story inspired by Eliza's relationship with her dad and the adventures they have gone on throughout her life!
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This campaign raised $6,550 for pre-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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A UT Undergraduate Thesis written and directed by Eliza Sommers and produced by Kate Hernandez. A wild and heartfelt story inspired by Eliza's relationship with her dad and the adventures they have gone on throughout her life!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Janey (23F) and her father Mason (57M) are packing a moving truck as she moves home from college. When Janey asks Mason to help secure one last box of childhood belongings, the truck door suddenly SLAMS shut and the vehicle takes off.
Trapped inside, they hear voices up front from brothers, Fritz (25M) and Mickey (27M). While Fritz celebrates his “easy” first job leading the crime, Mickey grows suspicious as Mason and Janey bang for help.
Fearing they’ll call the cops, Mickey decides to take them to “The Warehouse.” Mason insists on fighting back despite Janey’s hesitation, but when the doors open and he charges, Mickey knocks him out. Fritz then turns on Mickey but is also taken down. With everyone now in the back, Janey teams up with Fritz to set a trap.
When Mickey enters, the plan nearly falls apart until Janey abandons it entirely, acts on instinct, and takes him down without fear. She and Mason part ways with Fritz and finally drive away. Janey now carrying a newfound confidence in herself. 🚚 📦
Why this Story? And why now?
Our film is an independent student project and is fully self-funded by our team, alongside this campaign. So, every bit of support helps! This film is also our Thesis film, the last film of our undergraduate career, and it’s the perfect project to dedicate our last semester to.
It represents our love of filmmaking and is dedicated to our parents. We are excited to make a film that brings back the joy of a fun, action-packed crime comedy, while still illustrating a meaningful takeaway, one that feels rare today.
Throughout our production, we plan to measure our impact to encourage other student filmmakers to consider incorporating more sustainability practices on film sets.
Here are some ways we aim to be sustainable in our production:
- Pre-Production Digital Deliverables
- Carpooling Transportation
- Mindful of Energy & Equipment Use
- Sourcing Set Dressing, Props, & Costumes
- Homemade Food & Large Portion Craft Services
- Waste Reduction & Recycling
- On Set Education
Be sure to follow our campaign and social media accounts to monitor our efforts!
Our budget & HOW YOU CAN HELP!
We have a budget of $6,550. The breakdown of these contributions will be as follows:
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- Equipment: $1,750
- Meal & Craft Services: $1,410
- Production Design: $300
- Wardrobe: $100
- Cast/Crew: $650
- Location Fees: $400
- Moving Truck: $200
- Distribution/Post-Production: $540
- Contingency: $600
The campaign goal is the minimum amount needed to make sure everyone in our cast and crew are treated comfortably and compensated for their work! Please consider purchasing one of our fun incentives or donating to our fundraiser. Exceeding our goal will only improve the quality and outcome of our film.
Pre-Production: January to March 1st.
- Casting
- Crewing
- Scheduling
- Fundraising
- And more logistics!!
Production Dates: March 5th - March 8th.
Post-Production: March to April.
- Sound Design & Mixing Sessions
- Editing
- Film Festival Planning!!
Where we are:
- Locked Script.
- Department Heads Locked.
- Casting In Progress.
- Locking Locations.
- Fundraising.
- Building Our Truck Interior.
- Spreading The Word About Our Project Locally.
Other ways to help!
If you cannot help financially, please FOLLOW and SHARE our campaign to friends, family, and socials! Here is the link to our Seed&Spark Campaign: seedandspark.com/fund/boxed-in-ut-thesis-film
- And if you have access to resources or services that could benefit our film, reach out to us at [email protected] !! We are looking to outsource most of our equipment, set dressing, and crafty materials!!
- You can follow us on instagram at @boxedin.film !!
We are forever grateful for your support!! <3 🚚 📦
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SPECIALTY CREW
Costs $300
We need a Stunt Coordinator to keep our cast safe and make every action scene looks authentic!
CAST
Costs $350
Help us compensate our talented cast members as they bring our characters to life and make the story believable on screen!
EQUIPMENT
Costs $1,750
Quality equipment to make every shot look its best on screen!
ART
Costs $400
We need strong production design to make the world of our story feel real.
LOCATIONS
Costs $600
There are many amazing local spots to film, and we need support to make it happen! We have a total of 4 locations in our film.
TRANSPORTATION
Costs $600
We’re traveling to multiple locations and covering the costs of the picture truck and equipment vehicles.
CRAFT/CATERING
Costs $1,410
We have a cast and crew of 30+ people who need meals on set!
POST-PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION
Costs $540
We’re planning our journey ahead and hope to raise funds for festival distribution and post-production!
INSURANCE/CONTINGENCY
Costs $600
Don’t let us get stuck in the truck like Janey & Mason; help us have a safety cushion for any hiccups!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Eliza Sommers (Write/Director): Eliza Sommers (she/her) is a senior Radio-Television-Film (RTF) student from Houston, Texas. Within the film world, she loves writing, directing, and editing. Eliza has experience in several aspects of production. She edited a short film called Virginia, which was awarded 1st Place at the 16th Annual Texas Union Film Festival, and an undergraduate thesis, Barreling Down, which was awarded the Lone Star Student Production Award. Most recently, she wrote, directed, and edited an Advanced Narrative project called Pulling Teeth! This is her last project of her college career, and it is a very meaningful story to her, so she couldn’t be more excited to create it!
Plans for after college: Eliza is participating in the UTLA program over the summer, so she is planning to move to LA. She wants to get an internship at a post-production house, gain experience in editing, and get to know the LA industry. After this summer, she has no idea where she’s going to be- all she knows is she wants to keep making movies!
Kate Hernandez (Producer): Kate Hernandez (she/her) is a senior Radio-Television-Film (RTF) student from Houston, Texas. She adores all aspects of film production, specializing in producing and art direction. Kate has significant production experience with Texas Student Television's Sneak Peek (1994–), where she contributes as an Executive Producer and PR Chair. Kate has interned with companies like Warner Bros. Discovery and SXSW. She has worked on various RTF faculty projects and her experience extends to numerous student film projects, including serving as a lead art director/props for two UT Thesis 2025 films, Inner Child and A Good Show, for which she also helped as an Associate Producer. Most recently, Kate had the opportunity of producing, ‘How Would You Like To Go Swimming With Me?’ her first independent project she produced. Kate is excited to continue challenging herself as a creative producer and make “Boxed-In” come to life!
Plans for after college: Kate will graduate and move back home to Houston for a year. After that, she plans to move to a NYC and immerse herself in the film industry there, while continuing her connections here in Austin, Texas.
Kenneth Platero-Delucca (DP): Kenny is a UT Austin graduating cinematographer who has worked on projects ranging from award winning short films, to documentaries and music videos. With a keen eye for lighting and composition, he is excited to collaborate on his last thesis in the role as the Director of Photography. His goal is to capture and display all of the elements from Eliza’s innovation as creatively as possible.
Jarob Abbott (Head of Production Design): Jarob is a production designer who’s worked anything from features to TV pilots. He enjoys scripts that push boundaries and challenge him, which is why he’s excited to work this project!
Anthony Luparello (Editor): Anthony is a third year Radio-Television-Film student at University of Texas at Austin. Over the course of his studies, he has worked with lots of passionate filmmakers in roles such as script supervising and assistant directing, with a primary focus on short film and music video editing. This marks Anthony’s second thesis project, and he is thrilled to help bring Eliza’s vision to life.
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Paighton Martel (Sustainability Coordinator): Paighton (she/her) is a senior Sustainability Studies student from Dallas, Texas who’s l new to the film world and excited to learn! Coming from a background in farm life and environmental education, working on a film feels like a fun and meaningful step outside her comfort zone. She’s especially excited to bring sustainability onto the set and explore all the cool ways it can show up in filmmaking and everyday life.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Janey (23F) and her father Mason (57M) are packing a moving truck as she moves home from college. When Janey asks Mason to help secure one last box of childhood belongings, the truck door suddenly SLAMS shut and the vehicle takes off.
Trapped inside, they hear voices up front from brothers, Fritz (25M) and Mickey (27M). While Fritz celebrates his “easy” first job leading the crime, Mickey grows suspicious as Mason and Janey bang for help.
Fearing they’ll call the cops, Mickey decides to take them to “The Warehouse.” Mason insists on fighting back despite Janey’s hesitation, but when the doors open and he charges, Mickey knocks him out. Fritz then turns on Mickey but is also taken down. With everyone now in the back, Janey teams up with Fritz to set a trap.
When Mickey enters, the plan nearly falls apart until Janey abandons it entirely, acts on instinct, and takes him down without fear. She and Mason part ways with Fritz and finally drive away. Janey now carrying a newfound confidence in herself. 🚚 📦
Why this Story? And why now?
Our film is an independent student project and is fully self-funded by our team, alongside this campaign. So, every bit of support helps! This film is also our Thesis film, the last film of our undergraduate career, and it’s the perfect project to dedicate our last semester to.
It represents our love of filmmaking and is dedicated to our parents. We are excited to make a film that brings back the joy of a fun, action-packed crime comedy, while still illustrating a meaningful takeaway, one that feels rare today.
Throughout our production, we plan to measure our impact to encourage other student filmmakers to consider incorporating more sustainability practices on film sets.
Here are some ways we aim to be sustainable in our production:
- Pre-Production Digital Deliverables
- Carpooling Transportation
- Mindful of Energy & Equipment Use
- Sourcing Set Dressing, Props, & Costumes
- Homemade Food & Large Portion Craft Services
- Waste Reduction & Recycling
- On Set Education
Be sure to follow our campaign and social media accounts to monitor our efforts!
Our budget & HOW YOU CAN HELP!
We have a budget of $6,550. The breakdown of these contributions will be as follows:
- Equipment: $1,750
- Meal & Craft Services: $1,410
- Production Design: $300
- Wardrobe: $100
- Cast/Crew: $650
- Location Fees: $400
- Moving Truck: $200
- Distribution/Post-Production: $540
- Contingency: $600
The campaign goal is the minimum amount needed to make sure everyone in our cast and crew are treated comfortably and compensated for their work! Please consider purchasing one of our fun incentives or donating to our fundraiser. Exceeding our goal will only improve the quality and outcome of our film.
Pre-Production: January to March 1st.
- Casting
- Crewing
- Scheduling
- Fundraising
- And more logistics!!
Production Dates: March 5th - March 8th.
Post-Production: March to April.
- Sound Design & Mixing Sessions
- Editing
- Film Festival Planning!!
Where we are:
- Locked Script.
- Department Heads Locked.
- Casting In Progress.
- Locking Locations.
- Fundraising.
- Building Our Truck Interior.
- Spreading The Word About Our Project Locally.
Other ways to help!
If you cannot help financially, please FOLLOW and SHARE our campaign to friends, family, and socials! Here is the link to our Seed&Spark Campaign: seedandspark.com/fund/boxed-in-ut-thesis-film
- And if you have access to resources or services that could benefit our film, reach out to us at [email protected] !! We are looking to outsource most of our equipment, set dressing, and crafty materials!!
- You can follow us on instagram at @boxedin.film !!
We are forever grateful for your support!! <3 🚚 📦
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SPECIALTY CREW
Costs $300
We need a Stunt Coordinator to keep our cast safe and make every action scene looks authentic!
CAST
Costs $350
Help us compensate our talented cast members as they bring our characters to life and make the story believable on screen!
EQUIPMENT
Costs $1,750
Quality equipment to make every shot look its best on screen!
ART
Costs $400
We need strong production design to make the world of our story feel real.
LOCATIONS
Costs $600
There are many amazing local spots to film, and we need support to make it happen! We have a total of 4 locations in our film.
TRANSPORTATION
Costs $600
We’re traveling to multiple locations and covering the costs of the picture truck and equipment vehicles.
CRAFT/CATERING
Costs $1,410
We have a cast and crew of 30+ people who need meals on set!
POST-PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION
Costs $540
We’re planning our journey ahead and hope to raise funds for festival distribution and post-production!
INSURANCE/CONTINGENCY
Costs $600
Don’t let us get stuck in the truck like Janey & Mason; help us have a safety cushion for any hiccups!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Eliza Sommers (Write/Director): Eliza Sommers (she/her) is a senior Radio-Television-Film (RTF) student from Houston, Texas. Within the film world, she loves writing, directing, and editing. Eliza has experience in several aspects of production. She edited a short film called Virginia, which was awarded 1st Place at the 16th Annual Texas Union Film Festival, and an undergraduate thesis, Barreling Down, which was awarded the Lone Star Student Production Award. Most recently, she wrote, directed, and edited an Advanced Narrative project called Pulling Teeth! This is her last project of her college career, and it is a very meaningful story to her, so she couldn’t be more excited to create it!
Plans for after college: Eliza is participating in the UTLA program over the summer, so she is planning to move to LA. She wants to get an internship at a post-production house, gain experience in editing, and get to know the LA industry. After this summer, she has no idea where she’s going to be- all she knows is she wants to keep making movies!
Kate Hernandez (Producer): Kate Hernandez (she/her) is a senior Radio-Television-Film (RTF) student from Houston, Texas. She adores all aspects of film production, specializing in producing and art direction. Kate has significant production experience with Texas Student Television's Sneak Peek (1994–), where she contributes as an Executive Producer and PR Chair. Kate has interned with companies like Warner Bros. Discovery and SXSW. She has worked on various RTF faculty projects and her experience extends to numerous student film projects, including serving as a lead art director/props for two UT Thesis 2025 films, Inner Child and A Good Show, for which she also helped as an Associate Producer. Most recently, Kate had the opportunity of producing, ‘How Would You Like To Go Swimming With Me?’ her first independent project she produced. Kate is excited to continue challenging herself as a creative producer and make “Boxed-In” come to life!
Plans for after college: Kate will graduate and move back home to Houston for a year. After that, she plans to move to a NYC and immerse herself in the film industry there, while continuing her connections here in Austin, Texas.
Kenneth Platero-Delucca (DP): Kenny is a UT Austin graduating cinematographer who has worked on projects ranging from award winning short films, to documentaries and music videos. With a keen eye for lighting and composition, he is excited to collaborate on his last thesis in the role as the Director of Photography. His goal is to capture and display all of the elements from Eliza’s innovation as creatively as possible.
Jarob Abbott (Head of Production Design): Jarob is a production designer who’s worked anything from features to TV pilots. He enjoys scripts that push boundaries and challenge him, which is why he’s excited to work this project!
Anthony Luparello (Editor): Anthony is a third year Radio-Television-Film student at University of Texas at Austin. Over the course of his studies, he has worked with lots of passionate filmmakers in roles such as script supervising and assistant directing, with a primary focus on short film and music video editing. This marks Anthony’s second thesis project, and he is thrilled to help bring Eliza’s vision to life.
Paighton Martel (Sustainability Coordinator): Paighton (she/her) is a senior Sustainability Studies student from Dallas, Texas who’s l new to the film world and excited to learn! Coming from a background in farm life and environmental education, working on a film feels like a fun and meaningful step outside her comfort zone. She’s especially excited to bring sustainability onto the set and explore all the cool ways it can show up in filmmaking and everyday life.